With a New Neighborhood Lounge, Beverley’s Owner Wants to Bring a ‘Social Club’ Feel to Fitzhugh Avenue

In 2019, Dallas restauranteur Greg Katz opened Beverley’s Bistro & Bar on Fitzhugh Avenue. The chic spot soon proved popular with the brunch crowd, so when former gay bar Zippers shuttered just before the pandemic, Katz set his sights on transforming the space into a new neighborhood lounge, Clifton Club, along the evolving street that separates Uptown from Knox.

“I always felt that there was a missing category in Dallas. I thought there was a hole for lounges like there are in New York, or Chicago, or Europe,” Katz tells PaperCity. The goal with Clifton Club: to fill that something-for-everyone gap. “It’s a meeting point for the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Clifton was the name of the beach town Katz grew up near in Cape Town, South Africa, but only the name will reflect ocean vibes. “We’re completely gutting the building and 100 percent re-doing it with HVAC and plumbing,” Katz says. So basically, only the four walls of the building will remain.

The main room of Clifton Club will feature a big, green marble C-shaped bar with booths along the walls and low ceilings. There will also be a larger booth for 10 to 15 people that will work as a private room.  “It will be warm and residential,” Katz says. “Upscale, but approachable.”

If you want to swing by Clifton Club for a bottle of wine right after a walk on the Katy Trail, you can hang out in the indoor-outdoor garden room space with a wraparound patio in the back. Or, you can come in before or after dinner at Beverley’s and enjoy the interior’s “social club” feel.

Much of Clifton Club menu is still in the works, but Katz tells us it will feature a variety of snack items like olives, nuts, and charcuterie. A simple list of cocktails covers all classics, and there will also be wine and champagne lists.

Clifton Club is set to open by the end of 2021.